When war broke out in August, 1914, many companies rushed to get souvenir premium items onto the market before it was all over by Christmas. Basing their hopes on the bounty that was earned by the chocolate companies during the recent Boer War, Ridgways put out this patriotic tea tin in 1914. Obviously manufactured before the reality of war hit home, the lithographs include a fanciful cavalry charge, a nursing scene, a homage to Baden-Powells Boy Scouts, Sir John French, Admiral John Jellicoe and finally the soon to be famous and then dead Lord Kitchener.

Another simple bit of propaganda, mocking the Fuhrer. Looking at the material that propagandists used to attack the Germans, it focused mostly on Adolf Hitler. He was characterised as being a carpet biter, portrayed as a monkey or a rat or, as in this example, there was a toilet joke in there somewhere. This looks mid-war American, unofficial and designed for the home front. Let’s say it together, Fuck Hitler.

Very cool items here. This is a pair of medium sized posters I obtained from Henrik in Germany. He told me that a civil servant has retired who had found these in storage in the 70’s. Crisp edges, appropriate spotting, all as you would expect. The text translates to “One People, One Nation, One Leader”. The poster was printed by the offset printer Carl Werner of Reichenbach. By the way, fuck Hitler!

Visitors to this site will have noted, perhaps, my rather retro-racist love for WW2 anti-Japanese propaganda. A common theme to this kitsch is the invitation to “Slap Japs”. It was pretty widespread to use this kind of disparagement of the enemy to build morale on the homefront. This birthday card, dating from 1943, is an example of this theme. Other examples are here and here, oh and here and here.

Man this stuff just cracks me up. It’s a cardboard doll from, I would guess, the USA around 1943. The legs and one arm are articulated and if you hold the noose and pull the string, well Adolf just goes nutzi! Honestly, fuck Hitler.

Cheaply made and pressed out in their millions these little lapel badges helped fuel the American people in their struggle against the Axis. This example is labelled “Wanted for Murder, Adolf Schicklgruber alias ‘Hitler'”. This is a reference to Adolf’s grandmother Maria Schicklgruber who gave birth to Alois, Hitler’s father out of wedlock. Apparently Americans found Schicklgruber to be a more comical surname than Hitler. It also suggested Hitler was a bastard by proxy.